Includes bibliographical references (p. [361]-369) and index

In the days immediately following September 11th, the most powerful people in the country were panic-stricken. Radical decisions about how to combat terrorists and strengthen national security were made in a state of chaos and fear, but the key players, Vice President Cheney and his powerful, secretive adviser David Addington, used the crisis to further a long-held agenda to enhance presidential powers to a degree never known in U.S. history, and obliterate Constitutional protections that define the very essence of the American experiment. This is a dramatic account of how the United States made terrible decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world--decisions that not only violated the Constitution, but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda. Whatever the short-term gains, there were incalculable losses in terms of moral standing, our country's place in the world, and its sense of itself.--From publisher description

Panic -- Blame -- The warning -- Men of zeal -- Detainee 001 -- Outsourcing torture -- Inside the black sites -- The experiment -- The memo -- A deadly interrogation -- Blowback -- Cover-up

National Book Award Finalist, Nonfiction, 2008

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